2000AD 1555 - 19 September 07

Cover by Clint Langley

Joe Saxton: Given the consistent quality of the previous 4 ABCs, this is hardly a surprise. It's not quite as good as Blackblood’s shoot’n’toast a few weeks ago, but perfectly good if you like this sort of thing.

Robert Cornell: Langley. Deadlock. Excellent.

Mandroid - Instrument of War Part 1 Script: John Wagner Art: Simon Coleby Colours: Peter Doherty Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Mandroid Redux...

Synopsis: Nathan Slaughterhouse is doing time for his stint as a Mandroid gone mad, two years ago and no longer has the military equipment he used to, having had it replaced with weaker cybernetics. He flashes back to the events killed his son and left his wife without a mind, but refuses to engage with anyone. However, he is told that his wife, Kitty, is to be harvested for organs as they cannot hope to save her. Slaughterhouse goes mad, breaking his cybernetic limbs ending up in med bay as a torso with only half an arm and no legs. The judges leave him there for a while, thinking he can't possibly escape - yet as soon as they leave, Slaughterhouse uses what remains of this one arm to swing to the floor...

JS: So here it is, the slightly surprising return of a character whose story was one of the best Dredds of recent years. I say slightly surprising as the first Mandroid was a poignant tragedy that had a poignant, tragic ending. Still, it's Wagner whose brought Slaughterhouse back, and I doubt he’d do it unless he had a good story to tell.

The story this week is largely recap and scene setting and well handled too, as it doesn’t drag and gives all the exposition needed on the character without retelling the entire first story. It also sets up Slaughterhouse’s character well, particularly how he fell foul of the justice system previously, the line, ‘you people don’t get it do you? You just don‘t get it’ displaying his belief in justice rather than the restrictions and necessities of law.

Artwise, Kev Walker’s distinctive style set the mood perfectly in the first story and as replacements go, simon Coleby’s work is not as far from Walker’s as some are, implying that this story will maintain a similar tone to the first. On the subject of Coleby, personally I think his art has improved markedly in the last couple of years, particularly his coloured work. He also clearly knows how to lay out a page damn near perfectly. Also as there's a separate colourist, I’ll comment that Peter Doherty does a smashing job in a similar palette to the first story.

RC: Mandroid Book 2 arrives on the back of considerable wave of anticipation and a solid start suggests it may live up to expectations.

This is a patented Wagnerian first episode, instantly demanding attention, telling us what we need to know and setting the story rolling.

The first page is an excellent set-piece that gives us an insight into what life in an iso-cube is actually like. It’s something I’ve often wondered about.

Then Wagner takes the opportunity for a neat and unobtrusive “story so far.” Handy for readers without a photographic memory and something a few other writers could learn from. It seems this will be another story where Dredd is a spectator or catalyst. He’s relegated to a couple of panels in a flashback.

The final scene is the inevitable escape sequence which is exciting without seeming contrived.

Also great work from Coleby, with excellent colour by Doherty.

The Harrowers - Part 6 Script: Ian Edginton Art: Simon Davis Letters: Ellie De Ville

Gail's coming out party...

Synopsis: Harry tells Sara that the tower is the tip of a city and the tower amplifies the thoughts of the TDIs. The TDIs had evolved and explored every inch of their space until they realised that they were cut off from the rest of the galaxy. They did everything to get through the barrier, eventually experimenting on themselves which helped them to break through - but this action had a devastating effect on their civilisation - wiping out two thirds of it. They felt their way into other worlds, infecting the inhabitants so that they would change the world into one like theirs that they could eventually invade.

As Harry's story finishes, they discover that Gail has metamorphosed into a monster (as she turns out to be a transvestite - and thus susceptible) but s/he manages to destroy their equipment before they can kill her and the TDIs are converging on them...

JS: I might as well get it out of the way and say that I personally thought the first series of Stone Island wasn’t that bad - not great and definitely declining towards the end, but not bad. And I think this series will probably fall under that same definition. Edginton is telling a decent enough sci-fi horror story, but his characters lack the depth that other writers achieve (and indeed Edginton does in other strips), I’ve also seen him pace strips a lot better than this, though hopefully next week will see some much-needed action.

Art-wise Simon Davis continues to excel, his visual storytelling and apparent propensity for graphic genitalia are a bonus to this strip. Without him on board it would be a lot less enjoyable. It's also clear that he excels in drawing the weird and grotesque - Tharg should sign him up for more visceral strips, it’d be interesting to see his interpretation on them.

RC: I had my thesaurus ready to review Stone Island but I really can’t be bothered. It just makes me feel tired; like a really bad day at work I just want to end.

The Volgan War - Vol 2, Ep 5 Script: Pat Mills Art: Clint Langley Letters: Simon Bowland

Red Warriors...

Synopsis: Mek Quake has set Volkhan free, and he is joined by his other soldiers, Gulag, Raz-putin, Baba Yaga and Mektroshka.

Elsewhere, the Warriors are getting closer to Zippo and Deadlock decides that it's time to tell his tale - about his Knights Martial who operated the Watchtower, a station that spied on the Volgans. Inside this station, the General was rebuking Deadlock for killing a war criminal in private instead of humiliating him. Meanwhile, Deadlock's knights had spotted something that he needed to be alerted of...

JS: I’m going to talk about the art first here before you forget my praise for the previous two artists’ visual storytelling, as this is something that Langley really needs to work on. In my opinion the layout of the first two pages is terrible, many of the images are far too small and detailed to interpret clearly, and I’m going to repeat the usual complaint that some of this is far too murky.

In contrast the centre-page spread is stunning. Langley has excelled time and again when given extra space and a dynamic scene to produce. Unfortunately the final two pages highlight my other main problem with Langley, his use of human models, and increasingly less digital manipulation of the images. The general scowls and gurns his way through these two pages, frequently the expression in no way reflecting the words associated with him.

Anyway, while the art has its good and bad points let's move onto the script. Mills hardly excelled himself in the first run of the Volgan War, and he’s not really pushed the boat out here either. The scene at the prison was predictable, and the discussion in the space station pretty meaningless - though it may well all fall into context next week it is still pretty weak in isolation. I’m also slightly concerned that the reveal of the Ikon’s buddies may be leading us to a robot showdown very much like the one a couple of years ago at the end of the Shadow Warriors. Still, time will tell.

RC: Volgan Wars continues to be hit and miss and after a too-jokey Blackblood story we get Deadlock. I suspect he’s Mills’ favourite warrior and the tone becomes more earnest.

The build up to the main storyline, the breakout from Broadband Asylum – presumably the focus of Book Three – continues to build tension in the gaps between memoirs although I hope it won’t just be another Meknificent Seven vs The Evil Seven.

A great centre spread re-introduces The Watchtower of the Knights Martial from many years ago. Langley’s artwork is still good enough to eat, if a little dark in places, but do the photo-realistic human faces make the robots seem a little cartoony? It’s a striking effect but I’m a little caught between two minds on that.

Mills’ weekly sermon, about Iraq again, is made unobtrusively and in an amusing scene. He can be subtle when he wants to be.

I loved the line about “educated bullet.” I suspect you’ll live to regret that, General.

Ashes - Part 5 Script: Gordon Rennie Art: Dom Reardon Letters: Annie Parkhouse

The Caballistics lend a hand...

Synopsis: The Caballistics, using Magister and a variety of magical objects manage to purloin the angel that the British Government has being hiding away. Harry Absolom visits the scene of the crime, telling the woman in charge, Yolanda, that the Caballistics have borrowed the angel as they need it to kill someone.

Back at Exham Priory, Ravne it setting up a meeting with Kostabi...

JS: Well, this is all happening quite fast. It looks like Caballistics may be hastening towards an ending. Still, it's high class all the way. It's hard to say much that hasn’t already been said. Rennie’s writing has the usual humour, and is mercifully a little less chatty than some weeks.

Reardon’s art is also its usual quality (another one who can do layouts properly), he also excels in visual storytelling this week, the closeup of Magister capturing his likely mood at being shot and used as a tool perfectly, as does the tension of going through a minefield when the first one touched goes ’click’. the blood splash on the fourth page is also superb.

RC: In a strange way I’m looking forward to the end of Caballistics. Rennie has been building up to this for years and now we’re finally near the pay-off. Only a great climax stands between this and true classic status. Can Rennie live up to his own fanfare?

This is a low-key episode following the revelation from last week but not without that distinctive mix of delicious black humour and matter-of-fact scariness. With our “heroes” acting mysteriously in the shadows and the welcome reappearance of Harry Absolom.

Reardon’s artwork… let’s see that thesaurus. Oo… superlative. I like that.

The Hitman's Daughter - Part 5 Script: John Wagner Art: Frazer Irving Colours: Fiona Staples Letters: Ellie De Ville

Harry makes a deal...

Synopsis: Exton gets a call from a man telling him that he's tracked him down and wants to get him back in The Game. Harry tools up, taking the PI's body with him in the back of the car. He visits the PIs office, finds the information he needs and torches it - eventually leading him to the man who placed the phone call - Judge Stephen Horus - to whom he pays a visit at the dead of night. Harry decides that he'll join the game anyway - taking most of the profits - with sever repercussions for Horus if he crosses him...

JS: Not having read the first three series, it's hard for me to judge this one against them. However, on its own this episode is yet another masterful piece of visual storytelling, particularly considering that 2.5 pages have no words at all. Its also good to finally meet the star of the show and get some feel for his personality.

This is the first good look I’ve had at the new style of Frazer Irving, and I can see why he’s in such demand. Its subdued but powerfully clear. Good enough that the odd slip like the scale of the Judge’s head on the last page is easily forgiven.

RC: I’ll just put on my controversy hat to say that I haven’t been that impressed with Harry Ex’s fourth outing. At least not so far. It’s been impressively broody but with long silent patches that go on for too long.

Irving is good but I miss Arthur Ranson’s realistic style.

There’s still time but it hasn’t caught fire yet.

JS: The prog is on a high at the minute with four high profile stories running at once, three of which are pretty much as good as things tend to get, making it pretty difficult to pick a winner, so I won’t.

Best Story: Dredd, Caballistics and Button Man.  

RC: A strange Prog, with three stories off-genre. One is so bad it sucks the thrill-power from the other four and otherwise good but not great. Tricky to pick a best. Nine times out of ten I’d vote for Caballistics but it’s Deadlock that’s stuck in my memory through the week.

Best Story: ABC Warriors